You want a quarterback controversy at San Diego State, head coach Rocky Long is going to give you one.

Upbeat and excited, with his football team’s first fall workout only hours away, Long was in the mood at lunchtime on Monday to apply a few good-natured needles.

“We might play two quarterbacks at the same time. We might alternate them,” Long said. “We might bring in plays with the quarterback. We’re going to use a lot of wildcat. Sam Meredith does a really nice job of carrying the ball from the shotgun.”

How do you know Long is joking? Meredith is a mountain of a guy at 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, so it’s more likely he’ll command the wildcat than it is for SDSU to have a real contentious quarterback battle at this point after the graduation of Ryan Lindley.

Ryan Katz, the senior transfer from Oregon State, seemed to separate himself from the other top prospect, sophomore Ryan Dingwell, in spring camp, and it won’t be more than a week before the starter is named for the season opener on Sept. 1 at Washington.

Long favors Katz for his big-game experience, pocket presence and accuracy, and senior Alec Johnson, the starting center, said of his new teammate, “It’s kind of an aura that you just feel. He has confidence and experience. “

So there’s your drama at the most important position. Not much if you were having to sell tickets to practice, which are closed to the public anyway.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be some interesting shakeout spots as Long’s squad goes through at least 24 practices over the next 17 days. There is plenty to be determined, because the depth chart released on Monday listed only eight of the 22 starting positions with returners – five on offense and three on defense.

Among the most critical areas of competition and discovery:

Defensive line

This is the easily the biggest area of concern for the Aztecs, who don’t have a single returning starter in the line of Long’s challenging 3-3-5 defense. The current No. 1s on the depth chart are junior end Jordan Thomas and two sophomores, tackle Meredith and end Dontrell Onuoha.

“The closer you get to the line of scrimmage, the more mature and tougher you have to be,” Long said, later adding, “We have a lot of young guys on the defensive line, so we are worried about how they are going to hold up.

"Those defensive lineman might not be very good the first couple of games, but to survive, they have got to get better. “

Offensive line

On the other side of the ball, a pair of 300-pounders – Johnson and senior right guard Nik Embrernate – are back as starters, but there will be need to be significant growth at the other spots.

Projected right tackle Zach Dilley hasn’t played a college snap; left guard Japheth Gordon played sparingly in one game last year; and Granite Hills High product Bryce Quigley is making the interesting jump from tight end to protecting the quarterback’s blind side at left tackle.

Receivers

In an extraordinary turnaround from last year, when the Aztecs were so desperate for receivers that they moved Colin Lockett from the defense, they are rich with possibilities now. And they're a Mother's cookies bag of assorted flavors.

“We have five, six receivers who can all make an impact this year,” said Lockett, who stepped up to catch 58 passes for 970 yards and eight touchdowns in ’11. “We have got tall guys; we have short, shifty guys; we have got fast guys.

“We have got all of the tools to be one of the best wide receiving corps in the nation.”

The exciting newcomer is senior Brice Butler, a transfer from USC who has been tabbed by Lindy’s Sports as No. 10 in the Mountain West for NFL talent. An intriguing fresh face is walk-on Tim Yizzi, a 5-foot-10 transfer from Ventura Community College whose possession receiving has invited comparisons to the New England Patriots’ Wes Welker.

Running back

Gone to the NFL is the great Ronnie Hillman, which has naysayers spouting that the Aztecs have lost a huge chunk of their offense. But Long is confident, almost cocky, about the runners he now has at his disposal -- sophomore Adam Muema (253 yards, 3 TDs last year), senior Walter Kazee and redshirt freshman Chase Price.

“I’m not concerned,” Long said. “We are going to get just as many yards and score just as many touchdowns, but it’s going to be three guys doing it instead of one. I guess fans won’t like it because it won’t be quite as flashy, but the production is going to be the same.”

The running by committee is fine, but ultimately, will one of these guys rise above the rest?

Kicker

The Aztecs absolutely have to get better at place-kicking following an 8-5 bowl season in which they could have won two more games had the now-graduated Abel Perez had been more accurate.

St. Augustine High product Seamus McMorrow wasn’t on the depth chart on Monday, but both the kicking and punting jobs are his to lose. The true freshman caught Long’s admiration because he not only kicked for Saints, but he played wide receiver and safety. In other words, he’s an athlete who can kick.

Notes

All of the Aztecs’ practices are closed to the public, with the exception of Aztec Fun Fest on Saturday, Aug. 18. … SDSU has the maximum of 105 players on its fall practice roster. Long said redshirt freshman receiver Paul Pitts III (knee injury) won’t be available to play this season, while sophomore defensive lineman Kenny Galea’i (broken foot) will be out two to three more weeks.